Sunday, August 30, 2009

I'm writing a 600 word essay on how Jessica Loughlin's work addresses the subject of landscape.It is due tomorrow and was started today. I have a feeling that I write slowly, Dougie kindly put it that I work at the speed correct for me (though I would rather being doing other things surely so I wish "my speed" would get faster). Anyhow back to it...

Friday, August 28, 2009

Marina gave us a demonstration of a two part mould using the "wonderful" Gelflex...full photo documentary here at picasa

Gelflex is the colour of porridge and when melted the consistency of it, when set however it's rather rubbery and spongey. Katie who had had a great night in? felt rather unwell at the sight and smell of it.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Dougie bought me a present yesterday (mainly a I bought a book so I got you one too)... It's interesting when other people buy me books in the genre I like because I end up with something I probably wouldn't pick..and end up liking it.So thanks Dougie for Rooftops by Mandy Ord

Dr Tony Hanning is currently a Lecturer at Gippsland Centre for Art & Design, Monash University.I'd love to see one of these 'in the glass' to see how the design works from all sides.The National Gallery has a short paragraph about his work.

We handed in our booklets to Andrew, who flicked through them and passed them to Marcus who did the same. The booklets were then given back in a shuffled order. (that's the SHIFT bit in the project)

So our next task is to design an object (vessel suggested) with the new sensibility in mind. I'm fairly sure that the 'secret designer' I was given is Kevin Gordon. So lots of light play and oceanic imagery. Fine by me.

Assignment:research a glass designer that closely reflects your sensibility. In week 5, 26 august, you will bring this information in the form of a booklet that tells a short story about the sensibility of this designer and the types of objects they make.do not bring whole images (only cut outs of images to describe a sensibility) of work by the designer of their name. It is important that the name remains a secret.

Got to college for 08.10 am, Brett opened up the glass studio. Lit hotshop. shaped some clay for making a mould for wax shell. Got tree cup cast out of the kiln and started unveiling.

In the hotshop I made a small beer mug (for fathers day) a swirly cone and a stringered vasey thing. Jon pursued his pierced bubbles with some stringer decoration. very hot need I say with a slight 'hot shop headache' hovering in the background. More unveiling of the tree cup. Lunch.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Saturday, August 22, 2009

After recovering from this mornings late bedtime and even later rising I spent the afternoon making earrings to hopefully sell on SCA's open day this Saturday.Full collection here at my picasa account.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I've tried stickytape and sculpey...now i'm on to a jasmine scented candle to make my model with..i think the model will be more representational than accurate..I'll leave the drawings to do that.Any hoo back to it.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Jon and I made some monstrous things today..oversized, warped and unbalanced objects. It was fun though.

At lunch time a Joori, Katie and I made our moulds for our lost wax cup things. A little late, still eating part of my lunch I entered into Object theory (sorry Clare).After Clare's class Anna, Joori, Katie and I went in to the mould room to either steam our moulds start making them or finishing them off.

We got booted out at 5 by teachers wanting to go home (fair enough). Lying on our desks were the details for part one of our hot shop project "Sensibility shift".

I am now eating Green & Blacks butterscotch chocolate wondering how I am going to fit this all in.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Bring a portrait photograph with an interesting background, the person should take up about a third of the picture.

Nick demonstrated the lessons task's by giving his brother horns, pointy ears, enlarged glassy eyes then texturing him like a photocopy. Some how I didn't feel that Dougie would appreciate the same treatment. At one point I found a tool that made his nose bigger..it was an accident!I had a little giggle then pressed delete.

So a picture taken of Dougie on my birthday in a cafe on a sunny morning in may. Background was given a palette knife effect and the table on which there was coffee and chai was swirled and distorted.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

I partnered with Mel this morning. I made another larger spotty jug and a little flower vase intended for Kelly. Mel practiced bubbles and made one tumbler though unfortunately the bottom fell out..it was a good shape though for a first tumbler.

After cooling down I poured some wax shells and sheets which I then gently carried on the bus back home to fashion into something for Friday's practical class with Marina.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Jon and I partnered up in the hotshop between 9am and 1pm. I will have another spotty milk jug hopefully with a slightly less daliesqe handle. Uri came by to give a demo and instruction on handles. My co ordination is somewhat lacking at the moment but hopefully it will click in soon. Jon made a lovely vase with red swirls and amazing bubbles (bicarb and pineapple marver). Afterward I helped and hindered Uri with making some cane.

Our idea of craft now is quite different to how it was used previous to the industrial revolution. In the time of the craft guilds in the mid to late middle ages there was no distinction between craft, art and design. The craft guilds and the merchant classes were products of the population decrease after the 'black death (1348-1350)'.

Artists and artisan's worked collectively and apart from some very rare cases individual names where never known.

Guilds introduced many benefits for their members, even if to our eye today the rules and regulations seem rather restrictive and stifling. Compared to the option of being some feudal lord's serf a guild suddenly looks quite good. The guilds entered another level in the feudal system. Standards & prices were set, morals upheld, insurance for members and families, job security and protection! As in the feudal system they worked within guilds had a hierarchical structure. Masters at the top with journeyman in between the apprentices at the bottom.

Eventually the masters became corrupt. Nobility came to the guild for loans often to fund a holy war or suchlike. Guild families and nobility often intermarried..a desire for either money or titles.To be continued...

Monday, August 3, 2009

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Once we finally got out of bed we strolled off to the strand cafe in Croydon. Quite a nice walk, the warmth of the sun this winters day had a fair bit of summer in it's rays. The cafe serves breakfast all day (a trend I'm quite fond of) lucky for us! We sat outside in the courtyard and enjoyed our breakfast around a perfectly placed table, sun for Dougie and shade for me.

Not all the curb cuts between Croydon and Ashfield have a smooth surface some being quite deceivingly bumpy. It was over one of these bumpy ones that I managed to 'bump' my love right out of the wheelchair and on to the ground. Yikes! thanks to a passerby Dougie was only floor side for a few minutes. The remainder of the walk was sunnily uneventful.

The rest of the day I have experimented with ripped up paper, blended paper, flour glue, baloons, clingwrap, jugs whilst trying to make my Concepts "Tractus". it's proving harder than I thought to use recycled materials. Wax would be easier..I think. I took a break to use the kitchen and implements for actually making food (victoria sponge cake).

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